Position-adjustable brake unit for a dual-purpose roller skate

ABSTRACT

A position-adjustable brake unit for a dual-purpose roller skate mainly includes a base fixedly mounted to a top of an open-bottomed cavity provided at a sole of the roller skate, a brake support pivotally connected to the base and being normally pushed downward by a first torsion spring, a brake block connected to a lower end of the brake support to move along with the same, and a stop lever pivotally connected to one side of the base and having a top portion normally pulled by a second torsion spring into engagement with either a top or a lateral notch provided on the brake support. When the roller skate functions like a roller skate, the stop lever is caused to engage with the top notch of the brake support, so that the latter is held in a lowered position and the brake block downward projects from the cavity. And when the roller skate functions like an ordinary shoe, the stop lever is caused to engage with the lateral notch, so that the brake support is held in a lifted position and the brake block is completely retracted into the cavity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a position-adjustable brake unitfor a dual-purpose roller skate. When the dual-purpose roller skate isused as a roller skate, the brake unit may be conveniently shifted intoa lowered position to expose a brake block from the sole of the rollerskate, and when the roller skate is used as an ordinary shoe, the brakeunit may be shifted into a lifted position to retract the brake blockinto a cavity provided at the sole.

[0002] In-line roller skates are very popular among people who loveskating. The currently commercially available in-line roller skates aredesigned only for skating and could not be used as ordinary shoes forwalking. A skater must take off the in-line roller skates to wear a pairof ordinary shoes when he or she is not in a skating rink or placesuitable for skating. Thus, the skater always has to wear a pair ofordinary shoes and carry the in-line roller skates along with him or herto the skating rink. This is very inconvenient for the skater to do so.

[0003] There is developed a type of dual-purpose roller skates toeliminate the drawback of the conventional in-line roller skates. Suchdual-purpose roller skates include wheel units that could be shifted toa lowered position for the roller skates to function like general rollerskates and to a lifted position for the roller skates to function likeordinary shoes. A drawback of such dual-purpose roller skates is thatthey do not have a brake like that provided on the in-line roller skatesand are not safe for use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] A primary object of the present invention is to provide aposition-adjustable brake unit for a dual-purpose roller skate, so thatthe dual-purpose roller skate is safer for use without affecting itsfunction as an ordinary shoe.

[0005] To achieve the above and other objects, the position-adjustablebrake unit for a dual-purpose roller skate according to the presentinvention mainly includes a base fixedly mounted to a top of anopen-bottomed cavity provided at a sole of the roller skate, a brakesupport pivotally connected to the base and being normally pusheddownward by a first torsion spring, a brake block connected to a lowerend of the brake support to move along with the same, and a stop leverpivotally connected to one side of the base and having a top portionnormally pulled by a second torsion spring into engagement with either atop or a lateral notch provided on the brake support. When thedual-purpose roller skate functions like a roller skate, the stop leveris caused to engage with the top notch of the brake support, so that thelatter is held in a lowered position and the brake block downwardprojects from the cavity. And when the roller skate functions like anordinary shoe, the stop lever is caused to engage with the lateralnotch, so that the brake support is held in a lifted position and thebrake block is completely retracted into the cavity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The structure and the technical means adopted by the presentinvention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understoodby referring to the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0007]FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a position-adjustablebrake unit for a dual-purpose roller skate according to the presentinvention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned side view showing a mountingposition of the position-adjustable brake unit of the present inventionat a bottom of a roller skate;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a front view of the position-adjustable brake unit ofthe present invention in a lowered position;

[0011]FIG. 5 is a front view of the position-adjustable brake unit ofthe present invention in a lifted position; and

[0012]FIG. 6 shows in more details the use of the position-adjustablebrake unit of the present invention on a dual-purpose roller skate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 that are assembled and explodedperspective views, respectively, of a position-adjustable brake unit fora dual-purpose roller skate according to the present invention. Adual-purpose roller skate, namely, a roller skate that selectivelyfunctions like a roller skate or a regular shoe, includes a sole 1 (seeFIG. 3) having one or more open-bottomed cavities 11 provided thereatfor accommodating a brake unit 2 and multiple wheel units 3. The brakeunit 2 may be mounted in one of such cavities 11 independently or alongwith one of the wheel units 3. For the roll skate to also function likean ordinary shoe, both the brake unit 2 and the wheel units 3 must beposition-adjustable to shift between a lifted and a lowered position.The present invention concerns a position-adjustable brake unit 2 thatcan be conveniently and securely shifted between the lifted and thelowered position. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the brake unit 2 of thepresent invention mainly includes a base 21, a brake support 22, a brakeblock 23, and a stop lever 24.

[0014] The base 21 is an n-shaped member including a horizontal portionand two vertical plates 211. The base 21 is screwed at the horizontalportion to a locating plate 111 fixedly mounted at a top of the cavity11. One of the two vertical plates 211 that is closer to a front end ofthe roller skate is referred to as the front vertical plate 211 whilethe other one is referred to as the rear vertical plate 211. The frontand the rear vertical plates 211 are correspondingly provided at apredetermined position with a shaft hole 212 each. The rear verticalplate 211 is provided at a lower part of two lateral sides with tworearward extended lugs 213 and the front vertical plate 211 is providedat a lower part of one lateral side with a rearward extension 215. Anopening 214 is provided on the base 21 at an area connecting thehorizontal portion and the rear vertical plate 211.

[0015] The brake support 22 is a substantially rectangular frame havingtwo upward extended vertical wall portions opposite to each other,namely, a front and a rear wall portion. The front and the rear wallportions of the brake support 22 are correspondingly provided at apredetermined position with a shaft hole 221 each, and at a top edge andone lateral edge with a top and a lateral notch 222, respectively. Thebrake support 22 is pivotally connected to the base 21 to locate betweenthe two vertical plates 211 by extending a shaft 223 through the twoshaft holes 212 on the two vertical plates 211 of the base 21 and thetwo shaft holes 221 on the two vertical wall portions of the brakesupport 22. A first torsion spring 224 is put around the shaft 223 tolocate between the two wall portions of the brake support 22, so as tonormally elastically push the brake support 22 downward.

[0016] The brake block 23 is connected to a lower end of the brakesupport 22 to move along with the brake support 22.

[0017] The stop lever 24 is in the shape of an inverted letter L andincludes a horizontal top portion 242 and a vertical portion downwardextended from a rear edge of the top portion 242. The vertical portionof the stop lever 23 is provided at an upper part of two lateral sideswith two forward extended lugs 241. The stop lever 24 is connected tothe base 21 to locate between the two lugs 213 by extending a pin 243through the two lugs 213 of the base 21 and the two lugs 241 of the stoplever 24, such that the top portion 242 forward extends into the opening214 near the top of the base 21. A second torsion spring 244 is putaround the pin 243 to locate between the two lugs 241 so as to normallyelastically pull the top portion 242 of the stop lever 24 into theopening 214 to selectively engage with one of the two notches 222 on therear vertical wall of the brake support 22.

[0018] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the entire brake unit 2 assembled fromthe above-mentioned components 21, 22, 23 and 24 in the above-describedmanner is securely connected to a bottom of a dual-purpose roller skateby screwing the base 21 to the locating plate 111 that is fixedlymounted to the top of the cavity 11 formed at a lower side of the sole1.

[0019] Please refer to FIG. 4. When the horizontal top portion 242 ofthe stop lever 24 is engaged with the top notch 222 at the rear wallportion of the brake support 22, the brake support 22 faces downward toexpose the brake block 23 from the lower side of the sole 1. At thispoint, the brake support 22 and the brake block 23 are in the loweredposition. And, when the horizontal top portion 242 of the stop lever 24is engaged with the lateral notch 222 at the rear wall portion of thebrake support 22, the brake support 22 faces sideward to bring the brakeblock 23 into the cavity 11, as shown in FIG. 5. At this point, thebrake support 22 and the brake block 23 are in the lifted position. Auser wearing the dual-purpose roller skates may adjust the brake blocks23 thereof to either the lowered or the lifted position depending onactual need.

[0020]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of a dual-purposeroller skate having a position-adjustable brake unit 2 of the presentinvention mounted adjacent to a wheel unit 3 of the roller skate. Thewearer may adjust the wheel units 3 and the brake units 2 of a pair ofdual-purpose roller skates to the same lifted or lowered position forthe roller skates to function like ordinary shoes or roller skates. Tochange the brake unit 2 from one position to another position, simplydepress the vertical portion of the stop lever 24 to disengage thehorizontal top portion 242 from the notch 222 of the brake support 22,so that the brake support 22 could be pivotally turned about the shaft223 to the desired position.

[0021] When the brake support 22 is in the lifted position for theroller skate to function like an ordinary shoe, the engagement of thetop portion 242 of the stop lever 24 with the lateral notch 222 of thebrake support 22 safely prevents the brake support 22 and accordinglythe brake block 23 from unexpected lowering down to hinder the wearer'swalking movement. When the vertical portion of the stop lever 24 isdepressed to disengage the horizontal top portion 242 from the lateralnotch 222, the first torsion spring 224 immediately pushes the brakesupport 22 downward to expose the brake block 23 from the cavity 11. Alateral side of the brake support 22 opposite to the lateral notch 222presses against the rearward extension 215 at the lower part of thefront vertical plate 211 of the base 21 (see FIG. 4) when the brakesupport 22 is in the lowered position. The rearward extension 215 andthe engagement of the top portion 242 with the top notch 222 togetherprevent the brake support 22 in the lowered position from unexpectedlyretracting into the cavity 11 due to an upward force applied on thebrake block 23 during skating.

[0022] Similarly, to change the dual-purpose roller skate into anordinary shoe, simply depress and hold the vertical portion of the stoplever 24, so that the stop lever 24 pivotally turns about the pin 243 todisengage the horizontal top portion 242 from the top notch 222 of thebrake support 22. At this point, the wearer may use one hand to push thebrake block 23 into the cavity 11 and then release the stop lever 24,and the second torsion spring 244 would immediately pull the top portion242 into engagement with the lateral notch 222 and thereby securelyholds the brake support 22 and the brake block 23 in the liftedposition.

[0023] It is to be noted that the top and the lateral notches 222 on thebrake support 22 are so located and so spaced from each other that theyalways correspond to and engage with the top portion 242 of the stoplever 24 when the brake support 22 is pivotally turned about the shaft223 to its lowered or lifted position.

What is claimed is:
 1. A position-adjustable brake unit for adual-purpose roller skate, said brake unit being fixedly mounted to atop of an open-bottomed cavity provided at a lower side of a sole ofsaid roller skate, either independently or along withposition-adjustable wheel units of said roller skate, said dual-purposeroller skate functioning like a roller skate when said brake unit andsaid wheel units are in a lowered position, and like an ordinary shoewhen said brake unit and said wheel units are in a lifted position; saidposition-adjustable brake unit comprising a base, a brake support, abrake block, and a stop lever; said base including a horizontal portionthat is screwed to the top of said cavity on said sole, and two oppositedownward extended vertical plates, namely, a front and a rear verticalplate; said front and said rear vertical plates being correspondinglyprovided at a predetermined position with a shaft hole each, said rearvertical plate being provided at a lower part of two lateral sides withtwo rearward extended first lugs and said front vertical plate beingprovided at a lower part of one lateral side with a rearward extension,and an opening being provided on said base at an area connecting saidhorizontal portion and said rear vertical plate; said brake supportbeing a substantially rectangular frame having two upward extendedvertical wall portions opposite to each other, namely, a front and arear wall portion, said front and said rear wall portions beingcorrespondingly provided at a predetermined position with a shaft holeeach, and at a top edge and one lateral edge with a top and a lateralnotch, respectively; said brake support being pivotally connected tosaid base to locate between said two vertical plates by extending ashaft through said shaft holes on said two vertical plates and said twovertical wall portions; a first torsion spring being put around saidshaft to locate between said two wall portions so as to normallyelastically push said brake support downward; said brake block beingconnected to a lower end of said brake support to forward projecttherefrom and move along with said brake support; and said stop leverincluding a horizontal top portion and a vertical portion downwardextended from a rear edge of said top portion, said vertical portionbeing provided at an upper part of two lateral sides with two forwardextended second lugs, said stop lever being connected to said base tolocate between said two first lugs by extending a pin through said firstand said second lugs, such that said top portion forward extends intosaid opening near the top of said base, a second torsion spring beingput around said pin to locate between said two second lugs so as tonormally elastically pull said top portion into said opening of saidbase to selectively engage with either said top or said lateral notch onsaid brake support; whereby by depressing said vertical portion of saidstop lever to pivotally turn said stop lever about said pin, said topportion of said stop lever is caused to disengage from said top or saidlateral notch on said brake support, allowing said brake support to beshifted between a lowered position, in which said top portion of saidstop lever engages with said top notch of said brake support and saidbrake block is exposed from said cavity, and a lifted position, in whichsaid top portion of said stop lever engages with said lateral notch ofsaid brake support and said brake block is retracted into said cavity.